Awesome Aviation

If you’re going to take a tour of Ohio’s National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, it might as well be from the air, right? Well, thanks to NURK FPV, we can take a first-person drone flight through the museum’s awesome collection of aviation marvels without having to leave home.

There’s nothing funny about in-flight safety. Except for the in-flight safety spoof Ryan Reynolds made for British Airways, now serving Aviation American Gin. “I’ve tried every gin on the planet, and it is, hands down, the best,” says Reynolds. “Also, I don’t recommend trying every gin on the planet; just stick with this one.”

True North’s BNDT wristwatch features a classic aviation-inspired design backed by a modern movement. Each watch has a vintage patina and is hand-assembled in Los Angeles. Its dial and digits feature C3 Super Luminova for nighttime readability. It comes with a steel or black bezel, and two swappable nylon NATO straps.

Part of the Bell & Ross Flight Instruments collection, the stealthy Red Radar Ceramic watch features a display inspired by a radar screen. Its red sapphire crystal and red-painted markings are set into a 42mm matte black ceramic case. Includes black rubber and synthetic fabric straps. Limited to just 999 pieces.

Many intercontinental flights fly over the North Pole to save fuel and decrease flight times. So why is it that airplanes don’t do the same over the South Pole? Half as Interesting explains the challenges that keep flights from routing over Antarctica, and why it really doesn’t have much impact.

Airportag makes lots of fun products inspired by by airports and aviation. Among our favorites are their rugs, including a top-down airport map, a long and skinny runway runner, and a round one that looks like a jet engine. Each one is printed on a soft woven polyester chenille and is easy to clean.

Developed by North American Aviation back in the late 1950s for the U.S. Air Force and NASA, the X-15 was an experimental aircraft that could achieve speeds up to Mach 6.7. Real Engineering delves into the history of this rocket-powered plane, and the innovations and technologies that allowed it fly at insane speeds and altitudes.

AVI-8’s automatic watches look amazing, incorporating a classic aviation dial design into a sleek stainless steel case with a matching metal strap. Their design pays tribute to the Supermarine Spitfire, a British WWII-era single-seat fighter aircraft. The watch comes in Olive Green, Midnight Chrome, and a fantastic Gunmetal Grey.

We’ve seen plenty of watches inspired by aviation dials and gauges, but this Click Altimeter watch from TokyoFlash actually displays time like an altimeter, with three spinning dials that indicate the hour and minutes. They also sell a similar watch that looks like an electric power meter.

AVI-8 specializes in watches with designs inspired by classic military aircraft. The Retrograde borrows elements from the instrument panel of the Hawker Hunter, a jet used by the Royal Air Force from the 1950s to the 2010s. It features a 45mm stainless case with oversize push buttons, and a hand-stitched leather strap.

Israel-based Metro Skyways is showing off the design for a flying urban vehicle. The CityHawk would take off and land vertically like a helicopter, but uses drone-like fan blades, specially engineered to limit noise. It’s designed to hold up to six occupants, and could be used as a taxi, emergency medical transport, or a flying limo.

Mil-Tec’s vintage style wristwatch features a aeronautically-inspired dial, with second indicators on its outer edge, and hours inside. The German-made watch has luminous hands and hour markers, and its background is distressed with an oil-stained look. Available in brown or black.

Stührling’s everyday wristwatch is inspired by the flight instrumentation that might be found in vintage military planes. It’s got an easy to read dial, skeletonized hands, day/date functionality, and luminous markers and numbers. The case is stainless steel, and the band is riveted leather.

Best known for their iconic, in-depth auto repair manuals, Haynes also offers a series of books which delve into the design, construction, and operation of famous military planes like the F/A-18 Hornet, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

Norwegian company Griff Aviation has plans to launch these three highly customizable heavy-cargo drones. The Griff 125, 300 and 800 all get their model names from their respective gross carrying capacity in kilograms (i.e. 275lb, 660lb and 1,760lb).

The perfect desktop timekeeper for aerophiles, these cast aluminum and brass desk clocks are based on the design of altitude meters from WWII fighter jets. Sadly, they’re currently out of stock, but keep your eyes on Cool Material’s shop for a restock soon.